The present invention relates generally to railway pneumatic brake systems and, more specifically, to a wireless display unit for an interface between a pneumatic train brake control system and a train of electrically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brake equipped cars.
The freight train industry in the U.S. is transitioning from a completely pneumatically-controlled train to a train having ECP brake equipment on their cars. For the foreseeable future, not all locomotives will have the capability of interfacing with an ECP equipped train. They do not have the ability to provide the necessary power or electric control signals to the individual cars nor to control the brake pipe as required by the ECP cars. As presently configured, the train brake pipe is maintained at its charged value and is only used as a pneumatic back-up for failure of the ECP electrical control signals.
To meet this demand, various systems have been suggested. A limp-in control arrangement for ECP systems is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,913. An interface which provides the appropriate level of power to the ECP trainline is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,126. A locomotive to ECP brake conversion system which provides the appropriate power and control signals to the car trainline is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,980. Another interface system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,676,229.
The present interface system includes a housing with a first electrical port having a first pair of terminals to be connect to a pair of network wires of the locomotive, and a second pair of terminals to be connected to a power source. A display and input device are on the housing. A controller assembly is connected to the first pair of terminals as a node on the network, is connected to be powered by the second pair of terminals, is connected to drive the display and is connected to receive inputs from the input device. A transceiver for wireless communication with the ECP system is connected to an adapter which is also connected to the first pair of terminals to interface the transceiver to the controller assembly via the network.
The controller assembly has a second electrical port connected to the first and second pairs of terminals of the first electrical port. A cut-out circuit connects the second pair of terminal to the second electrical port of the controller and disconnects the second pair of terminal and the second electrical port if the voltage at the second pair of terminals is below a predetermined voltage.
The adapter and display are connected to be powered by the controller assembly at a second voltage lower than a first voltage at the second pair of terminals. The controller assembly includes a power port for providing the second voltage. The display and the adapter each include a power port, and a splitter connects the power port of the controller assembly to the power ports of the display and the adapter.
The first electrical port includes a third pair of terminals connected to each other. Auding a battery assembly includes a first and a second battery and a connector for matting with the first electrical port and having two pairs of positive and negative terminals connected to positive and negative terminals of a respective battery. The positive terminal of the connector of the first battery and the negative terminal of the connector the second battery mate with the second pair of terminals of the first electrical port. The positive terminal of the connector of the second battery and the negative terminal of the connector the first battery mate with the third pair of terminals of the first electrical port, thereby the batteries being in series to the second pair of terminals.
The connector of the battery assembly includes a third pair of terminals connected to each other; wherein when the connector is mated with a dual battery charger, the third pair of terminals activates the charger. The battery assembly is in a container having a third electrical port including the two pairs of positive and negative terminals connected to positive and negative terminals of a respective battery, and the connector mates with the first and third electrical ports. The container includes a compartment to removable accommodate the operator interface unit and the connector.
Another includes a housing with a first electrical port having a first pair of terminals to be connect to a pair of network wires of the locomotive, and a second pair of terminals to be connected to a power source. A display and input device are on the housing. A transceiver assembly wirelessly communications with the ECP system. A controller assembly is connected to the first electrical port, the display, the input device and the transceiver assembly, and wherein the controller assembly is a node on the network via one of the first electrical port and the transceiver assembly.
A portable operator interface includes a container having a lid and an external first electrical port. A battery source in the container electrically is connected to the first electrical port. An operator interface unit is removable housed in the container and has a display, an input device, a transceiver, a second electrical port and an antenna port. An antenna is removable housed in the container and has a connector for mating with the antenna port. A cable is removable housed in the container and has a pair of connectors for mating with the first and second electrical ports respectively.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, when considered in conjunction with accompanying drawings.